Last Modified: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 1:38 p.m.

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For 30 years, the business has sold locally grown produce and hard to get healthy foods and other products.

So the new guys on the block – namely, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's – don't have a thing on it, except their size and relative newness, said Tidal Creek general manager Craig Harris.

But now the store at 5329 Oleander Drive faces serious competition, especially from Trader Joe's, he said.

"They are big ... and it's a chain with deep pockets for marketing," Harris said. "It's affected us from two sides: from people who want to try out the novelty. ‘It's bigger, so it has to have more things.' "

And "there are some people that ‘local' might not resonate as much with," he added.

Trader Joe's is about three times the size of the 4,500-square-foot Tidal Creek, Harris said, and Whole Foods is more than five times larger.

Tidal Creek, however, differs in advantageous ways, Harris said.

For one, as a co-op it is a not-for-profit, meaning any profit it earns goes back to the store, to customers and owners. Those owners are not large corporations based elsewhere, but 3,000 people here who have chosen to spend at least $30 to be a part of Tidal Creek, Harris explained.

You don't have to be an owner to shop at the store, he said as he sat down in the store, hopping with a good-sized lunch crowd. But owners get extra perks, such as discounts on basic items like milk, he said. Other customers get perks based on how much they spend over time.

"I have 3,000 bosses," Harris said. "Because of that you have an open dialog. Customers are more inquisitive."

And it still has original members that go back to when it was incorporated in 1982.

"We have a deep connection with (the University of North Carolina Wilmington)," Harris said.

Even today the store is used as a drop-off point for people involved in CSAs (community supported agriculture) – ordering produce directly from the farm, he said.

The new members are drawn in for convenience, Harris said, and often for dietary needs.

"We do take care of people who are interested in organic, or vegan or gluten-free," he said. "There also might be the people who don't want to shop corporate."

The store – at its present location for nine years – also prides itself on the freshness and all-natural quality of its products.

"Probably the biggest thing is we do the homework for you," Harris said. "You are not going to find products here with dyes, preservatives, nothing artificial."

Tidal Creek has close to 80 local vendors. They supply products that range from local beer to pickles, granola, condiments, chips and bulk items like organic walnuts, sesame sticks and candy.

The co-op also takes a holistic approach, said Tidal Creek's marketing manager Katie Wright, giving back to the community through partnerships with local groups.

But despite its community involvement, Tidal Creek still faces the task of competing.

"We are struggling with it because it is new and we're still learning a lot about it," Harris said. But the store is "going to do things we do well," he said, mentioning in particular its prepared foods.

But there will be changes.

"Likely the way we were before (the competition) came in," Harris said, "and the way we are evolving will be different."

<p>Tidal Creek Cooperative Food Market was around when "local food" meant how close you were to the nearest supermarket or diner.</p><p>For 30 years, the business has sold locally grown produce and hard to get healthy foods and other products. </p><p>So the new guys on the block – namely, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's – don't have a thing on it, except their size and relative newness, said Tidal Creek general manager Craig Harris. </p><p>But now the store at 5329 Oleander Drive faces serious competition, especially from Trader Joe's, he said.</p><p>"They are big ... and it's a chain with deep pockets for marketing," Harris said. "It's affected us from two sides: from people who want to try out the novelty. 'It's bigger, so it has to have more things.' "</p><p>And "there are some people that 'local' might not resonate as much with," he added.</p><p>Trader Joe's is about three times the size of the 4,500-square-foot Tidal Creek, Harris said, and Whole Foods is more than five times larger.</p><p>Tidal Creek, however, differs in advantageous ways, Harris said.</p><p>For one, as a co-op it is a not-for-profit, meaning any profit it earns goes back to the store, to customers and owners. Those owners are not large corporations based elsewhere, but 3,000 people here who have chosen to spend at least $30 to be a part of Tidal Creek, Harris explained.</p><p>You don't have to be an owner to shop at the store, he said as he sat down in the store, hopping with a good-sized lunch crowd. But owners get extra perks, such as discounts on basic items like milk, he said. Other customers get perks based on how much they spend over time.</p><p>"I have 3,000 bosses," Harris said. "Because of that you have an open dialog. Customers are more inquisitive." </p><p>And it still has original members that go back to when it was incorporated in 1982.</p><p>"We have a deep connection with (the University of North Carolina Wilmington)," Harris said.</p><p>Even today the store is used as a drop-off point for people involved in CSAs (community supported agriculture) – ordering produce directly from the farm, he said.</p><p>The new members are drawn in for convenience, Harris said, and often for dietary needs.</p><p>"We do take care of people who are interested in organic, or vegan or gluten-free," he said. "There also might be the people who don't want to shop corporate."</p><p>The store – at its present location for nine years – also prides itself on the freshness and all-natural quality of its products.</p><p>"Probably the biggest thing is we do the homework for you," Harris said. "You are not going to find products here with dyes, preservatives, nothing artificial."</p><p>Tidal Creek has close to 80 local vendors. They supply products that range from local beer to pickles, granola, condiments, chips and bulk items like organic walnuts, sesame sticks and candy.</p><p>The co-op also takes a holistic approach, said Tidal Creek's marketing manager Katie Wright, giving back to the community through partnerships with local groups.</p><p>But despite its community involvement, Tidal Creek still faces the task of competing.</p><p>"We are struggling with it because it is new and we're still learning a lot about it," Harris said. But the store is "going to do things we do well," he said, mentioning in particular its prepared foods.</p><p>But there will be changes.</p><p>"Likely the way we were before (the competition) came in," Harris said, "and the way we are evolving will be different."</p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic99"><b>Wayne Faulkner</b></a>: 343-2329</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @bizniznews</i></p>